Top-rated soap `Young and Restless' marks 40 years

Jill Farren Phelps, second from right, executive producer of "The Young and the Restless," poses with, from left, the show's head writer Josh Griffith and cast members Robert Adamson, Redaric Williams and Steve Burton at the Hot New Faces of "The Young and the Restless" press junket at CBS Television City on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 in Los Angeles. The CBS show, daytime's top-rated soap since December 1988, hits the big 4-0 on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
— Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Jill Farren Phelps, second from right, executive producer of "The Young and the Restless," poses with, from left, the show's head writer Josh Griffith and cast members Robert Adamson, Redaric Williams and Steve Burton at the Hot New Faces of "The Young and the Restless" press junket at CBS Television City on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 in Los Angeles. The CBS show, daytime's top-rated soap since December 1988, hits the big 4-0 on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
/ Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Burton noticed a difference in how soaps are treated at CBS compared to ABC, which cancelled "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."

"'Young and Restless' means as much to CBS as `CSI' does and that's saying something," he said. "That all starts from the top down."

Although ratings have dipped, there appears little immediate chance that another show will overtake it soon, said Carolyn Hinsey, a veteran chronicler of daytime dramas and author of "Afternoon Delight: Why Soaps Still Matter."

"The average soap today costs about $40 million to produce," she said. "If the network can monetize that with multiple showings, like `Y&R' did with SOAPnet and CBS.com, then that's a great bang for their buck. There are no more loyal fans than soap fans."

The show is seen daily by an estimated 10 million viewers in such countries as Australia, Canada, France, Romania and South Africa.

McDaniel has been the driving force in keeping the show current by updating the sets, music and wardrobe, while bringing fans closer through video chats, getting the veterans to join their younger cast mates on Twitter, and cross-promoting "Young and Restless" on other CBS daytime shows. The network also airs "The Bold and the Beautiful."

That kind of effort should keep the show going for years to come, Hinsey said.

"ABC was not loyal to its (canceled) soaps, and did not try to monetize them or promote them," she said. "CBS has been very loyal to `Y&R' and `B&B,' especially lately. No new show is going to draw the millions of devoted eyeballs daily that `Y&R' has enjoyed for 40 years."

Head writer Josh Griffin is loath to give away upcoming story lines, but he promises that "we're going to get hotter and sexier and more romantic and suspenseful as the months go by."